Frozen hydrants stall crews at fire in Reading

Firefighters battled the elements along with smoke and flames during a two-alarm blaze Wednesday in Reading that left several people homeless.

Crews were dispatched at 5:30 p.m. to the 800 block of Greenwich Street for a reported structure fire.

Reading Fire Marshal Jeremy Searfoss said that the occupants of 809 Greenwich called 9-1-1, reporting smoke on the second floor of the row home.

Searfoss said that firefighters detected smoke on the second floor, smelling burning paper or cardboard, so began searching for the origin.

The adjacent buildings were checked. Searfoss said that crews found a fire in the second floor of an unoccupied home at 807 Greenwich.

Flames had traveled through the wall of 809 and into the ceiling and roof of the third floor at both homes.

As firefighters battled the flames in the bitter cold, smoke poured from the front and back of the homes. A towering column of smoke hung over north Reading.

Searfoss said that firefighters were hampered by two frozen hydrants.

“It took a little bit to get some water in there, which was obviously a concern for the safety of our guys,” Searfoss said. “We don't want to put our guys too far into the fire without having a reliable water source.”

More than 600 feet of hose was laid to reach a hydrant near Greenwich and North Ninth Street before firefighters found the cap was frozen solid, Searfoss said.

A pickup truck that headed up Greenwich Street, which was closed because of the fire, then drove over the hose and parked on it.

Firefighters admonished the driver of the pickup.

Water was finally accessed at a hydrant around the corner on North Eighth Street. More than 400 feet of hose was laid to the homes.

Searfoss said that another nearby hydrant was covered by garbage and was not used.

Later at the scene, a Reading Area Water Authority representative examined the hydrants and then attempted to loosen the caps by heating them in case more lines were needed.